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Welcome Crazy Cat People
So you are thinking of buying or adopting a ragdoll cat, what a great choice. As with taking on any breed, there are lots to consider and one of them is price.
In this post, I answer your question on price through my own independent research and answer some related questions to help you decide if owning a ragdoll cat is perfect for you and your family.
In general Ragdoll cats are one of the most expensive breeds. The price can vary depending on whether the cat is pet quality and mixed breed compared to if the cat is show quality and pedigree. Generally, show cats that are not spayed/neutered from a reputable breeder are the most expensive.
Ragdoll cats do come with a higher price tag so this is one thing you must consider as well as the cost of owning a cat in general and the upkeep.
In this post, we look at why they are expensive and we look at the results from a poll I conducted to work out an average price.
I also found out something that shocked me while doing my research which I will discuss in more detail in this post so keep on reading to find out more.
Why are Ragdoll cats expensive?
Ragdoll cats are pedigree cats and there are a lot of variations when it comes to price as we will discover throughout this article.
Ragdoll cats are a rare breed of feline and generally, the rarer a breed is the higher the cost of the kitten/cat. The price will often vary depending on which part of the world you are in, how pure the breed is and whether you adopt your cat from a shelter which may involve an adoption fee or whether you go to a breeder directly.
I discovered just how strongly people feel when purchasing a ragdoll versus adopting one, which I will go into in the next section.
Some factors that may affect the cost of your cat are
- Has the owner paid for a DNA test to check the standard of the breed
- Has the owner paid for two vet visits before selling the kitten?
- The costs of caring for a kitten such as food, litter etc..
- The cost of spaying/neutering the cat which will be passed on to you.
- Show quality, pet quality or breeder quality.
So as you can see above there are reasons why your ragdoll may burn a hole in your purse when you decide to purchase one especially if your new little bundle of joy is from a breeder.
What are the differences between show quality, pet quality and breeder quality ragdolls?
Pet Quality
Pet quality ragdolls are perfect for anyone who wants a cuddly, loving ragdoll and wants to take them home for a household pet. Pet quality cats may not be full pedigree and maybe a mixed breed which is fine for most people who just want a ragdoll for their classic personality and looks.
Pet quality ragdolls will often be the lowest priced of the breed.
Show Quality
These ragdolls often come with all the classics markings of a ragdoll purebred pedigree cat. The breeder will have taken a DNA test on the cat to make sure they are not mix bred and the cat will most likely be spayed/neutered.
Breeder Quality
These ragdolls will come with the same pedigree markings as a show quality ragdoll with the one difference that they will have not been spayed/neutered and because of this reason, they tend to be the most expensive.
What is the average price for a Ragdoll Kitten/Cat?
So what was I so shocked about when carrying out my poll on the cat Facebook groups?
Well, I asked the question to ragdoll owners just how much they had paid for their ragdoll kittens and when I checked the results I had three angry face reactions to the post.
Call me naive but I had no idea why people were giving these reactions to what was an innocent question on a social media group.
It appears that some people feel very strongly about only ever adopting a cat rather than buying a cat from a breeder.
One of the comments read ”They should only ever be adopted not sold… They are not objects”
WOW! What had I gotten myself into!
I respect anyone’s opinion as I believe we all have that birthright to have an opinion and everyone’s opinion is valid, we all have a different view of the world we live in and what we deem as being right or wrong.
If we were to only ever adopt cats from shelters, what would happen to all the lovely little kittens bred from responsible breeders? Would they be abandoned and left alone just because they came with a price tag?
It just doesn’t make sense to me at all.
Okay so there are valid points to adopting, you may free up space for another cat who needs adopting and it could reduce the number of euthanisations that happen BUT again what would happen to the cats who were being sold if nobody bought them at all?
Whether you decide to buy or adopt from a shelter the one thing I know is that you are a responsible cat owner who will look after their cat and give them a lot of love and care and that is what really matters! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this blog post.
Poll results
I did this poll to find out the average price paid for a ragdoll. I didn’t ask people to specify whether the cats were show quality or pet quality.
34 people responded and the table below shows price ranges and the percentage of people in each range.
**If using a mobile device just swipe across to see the whole results in the table below**
| Adoption fee | $150-$450 | $451-$750 | $751-£1050 | $1051-$1350 | $1351-$1650 |
| 53% | 9% | 23% | 9% | 0% | 6% |
As you can see above 53% only paid an adoption fee so it does seem that the majority of people do adopt their cats which I agree is a nice thing to do, the more unwanted cats we have the better.
I worked out the average price of a ragdoll cat when bought from a breeder.
Average price: $822
These prices can vary on many factors, one of them being which part of the world you live in and how reputable the breeder is.
What to be aware of when buying a Ragdoll Cat?
So as with taking on board any pet, there are a few things you will need to consider when you invite a cute little ragdoll into your home and share your life with this breed chirpy, friendly cat breed.
First, we need to look at the financial cost of looking after a cat and there are so many aspects we need to consider and not just the initial cost of buying a cat from a breeder.
- Water and food bowls
- Food
- Cat bed
- Scratching post
- Toys
- Grooming equipment and brushes
- Money set aside for vet costs
- Pet insurance
Before you go any further it may be worth reading my blog post ”How much does it cost to look after a cat? (the real truth)”, this article is super helpful to not only give you an idea of the initial costs of owning a cat but also what you need to consider every month with an average spend.
I also used the information I found online regarding cat care costs to work out the average prices of each item required for a new cat.
The average monthly spend was $79 or £59 in the UK.
The average start-up cost of owning a cat was $520 or £380 in the UK.
The prices above do not include the vet fund that you should always keep aside just in case of emergencies, if you don’t have a store of cash then it is a good idea to at least have a credit card with a balance that can be used if needed.
How to find a responsible cat breeder
We must make sure that when we go to a cat breeder, we find a breeder who is responsible and one who has a good reputation.
This is so important because you want your little ragdolls to be healthy and you want to avoid being scammed, especially if you are looking for a show quality breed.
There are so many occasions where cat owners have paid more than they should do for cats and the owners lied to them and sold them a mixed breed.
I personally would be happy with a mixed breed, all domesticated felines need a loving home but for those seeking pedigree cats just make sure you do your background checks on the breeder!
A DNA test should have been carried out and remember that a good breeder will always show you proof!
Some other questions you may want to ask are
- Does the breeder have a website and what are the reviews like?
- Do any of the reviews have complaints that you need to be aware of?
- Do the Kittens look happy in the pictures on the site?
- Are the Kittens socialised with other cats, dogs, children?
- What vaccinations has the kitten had?
- Is the kitten microchipped?
- How old is the kitten? Most kittens are sold when they are 12 weeks old, they need time with their mum to lower the risk of seperation issues as they go through life.
- What type of food has the kitten been eating? Its a good idea to feed the same food for at least two weeks to help with the transition when you take Kitty home.
Most responsible breeders will make sure the kitten or cat has had at least two vet visits to make sure they have no health problems. If you don’t make sure this has happened you could have to go to the vet yourself very early on in the kitten’s life.
Is a Ragdoll cat a good pet?
Ragdoll are in my opinion an amazing breed of cat!
They are very affectionate and loving and develop super close bonds with their owners. They do tend to cling to and favour one person in a family household which is certainly not uncommon for most breeds.
They are known to follow their owners around everywhere they go! Most owners claim that they can’t even use the toilet in peace when they share their life with a ragdoll.
So this is what you need to consider when taking on board a ragdoll cat! They need a lot of attention and they will demand it.
Would you be happy with a cat that constantly wants to be on your lap or sat near you and do you have the time to give the required love and care?
They are also super vocal compared to other breeds which may mean that early morning wake-ups for love, affection and food may be a regular occurrence in your home.
They do make good pets if you have children and can often develop really close bonds with your kids and this can be magical to see! They are generally very patient, calm, sociable chirpy little cherubs that your child will adore.
Of course, these characteristics are general and we must remember that cats are very much like people!
Their personalities vary so much from cat to cat and your ragdoll may end up not being the ”typical ragdoll” but I know that you will love them regardless and value their individuality and uniqueness!
They are still territorial but nowhere near as much as some cat breeds so they can be easier to introduce to a household that already has other cats or children.
Conclusion: Are ragdoll cats expensive?
So the Ragdoll cat is not one of the cheapest cat breeds to purchase unless you are lucky enough to get one from a shelter. Our poll results show that just over half of ragdoll owners get their pets from a shelter and pay just an adoption fee.
When buying from a breeder you will naturally pay more, the breeder will often pass on the cost of the vaccinations, the vet visits and the time spent looking after the kittens.
You now know what to look out for when going to a breeder, the questions you need to ask and the background checks you need to do before purchasing.
A ragdoll cat makes such a loving and laid back pet, hence its popularity.
I know as a fellow crazy cat person you will look after your little fur babies and make sure they have the best life possible.
Take care of yourself and your little ones.
Mark (The crazy cat man)
